It’s a direct line to God
How do you feel after your prayer time?
Do you feel at peace? Do you think your prayers are hitting the mark?
I know that speaking in tongues is one of those things not usually brought up in conversations. But I am writing to tell you it’s a gift that keeps giving.
No matter what, you call it a Spirit language, unknown tongues, or prayer language. Speaking an unknown language this way is called “Glossolalia. It is a subject that some say died in biblical times. Furthermore, some people believe it isn’t real. They also believe those who speak this way have accepted the wrong teaching. And in addition, we should be avoided.
Yes, even in my family, there are people who avoid me. Moreover, they have never heard me pray in the Spirit.
This gift of speaking in tongues is one of nine spiritual gifts. It is given to edify, which means it is given to improve, strengthen, encourage, activate, or stir the speaker and others. Equally important, Jesus spoke foretelling of this gift in the book of Mark.
“These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: “They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak new languages.” (Mark 16:17 NLT)
Then, John tells of Jesus speaking about the Spirit before the crucifixion.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:15–17 NKJV)
What exactly did Jesus mean, “will be in you?” It is a complex concept for most of us to grasp. Here I’ll remind you of something Isaiah said,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9 NIV)
After all, we are Spirit beings here on earth walking around in the flesh, which is a temporary covering.
“We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8 NKJV)
Additionally, We read in Acts that there was an occasion when Jesus and the disciples ate together after the resurrection, and Jesus gave them this command;
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Do when they met together, they asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4–8 NIV)
For this reason, after Jesus’ ascension, the disciples and others gathered in the Upper Room. There they awaited the promised Holy Spirit. Scripture says there were about 120 believers.
“And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” (Acts 2:4 NLT)
Why did they get this ability?
Was it so they could step outside and speak of the things of God to those foreigners? These were the people who had traveled to Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival and spoke in other languages. As a result, this is what scripture says happened, and about three thousand became believers that day.
Why does the Holy Spirit give us this gift today?
Certainly, it is to communicate Spirit to Spirit. We who have such a gift experience amazement that God would give us such a practical gift. I use it to pray throughout my day as people come to my mind or I get a request to pray. Sometimes I sing and praise using this language, and it is refreshing to do so. I am also a member of Intercessors For America and have been since the seventies. If you have a heart for intercession for your state or country, they have the resources to help you connect with like-minded believers.
I have no idea what my language is, but I feel its power and impact when I pray, and it’s beyond my human mind. It is my Spirit speaking straight to God, and I know that my God hears me and will answer in His time and in His way. I say amen in total peace.
It is a precious gift.
And it is a privilege to have it to pray for those we are asked to pray for.
When you pray, do you do it to impress others? Do you believe that God is the same, always, never changing? Can you show me in the Bible where it says that God ended the gift of tongues?
It takes a person willing to open their minds and hearts to hear the voice of God. Are you in a place in your life where you use a fresh word from God? Can you be still and know that He is God? He whispers in the stillness. He wants to have a relationship with you. And relationships take time. Take the time, and you’ll be glad you did.
I can’t say you will receive a prayer language if you pray. God is the giver, and He gives as He determines. See I Corinthians 12:7–11 to learn more about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7–8 NIV)
Another key point is In his book, “Seventy Reasons For Speaking In Tongues,” Bill Harmon writes. “Now it has become apparent that revelation about the gift of the believer’s spirit language needs to again become a priority in the Body of Christ.”
After all, Jesus teaches,
“After He has gathered His own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow Him because they know His voice.” (John 10:4 NLT)
We should all know His voice. That doesn’t happen after one conversation. It happens as your relationship develops. I pray that those who desire to hear from God on this subject do so with amazing results.
